A Look At Kim Zolciak's Cosmetic Transformation Over The Years

There's no denying Kim Zolciak's look has gone through quite the evolution since she first joined the cast of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" back in 2008. However, she is far from being one to stay mum on what cosmetic procedures she's had done; rather, she is an open book with all the tweaks she's made.

Possibly one of the most noticeable changes in Zolciak's appearance over the years has been her wigs. Granted, she's never been particularly secretive about the fact that she wears them. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in 2016 about why she preferred wigs for TV appearances, Zolciak explained that she simply enjoyed not having to sit in a hairstylist's chair for an hour, especially when she would need to have her makeup done professionally too. That makes sense, but there's also no denying that her wigs have gotten a whole lot better over the years.

That Zolciak's wigs have changed from very obviously fake to significantly more realistic has certainly helped in more recent years when she's been able to sell some of them off. Even so, it's possible her longtime foe, Nene Leakes, would prefer if Zolciak stuck to her real hair. After all, it wasn't all that long ago that Leakes poked fun at the quality of her wigs. Back in 2018, she'd quipped in an episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" that she couldn't help but be pushed to her limits by Zolciak "and her party city wigs, honey." Yikes.

Another major difference we've seen in Kim Zolciak during the time she's been a public figure? Her nose. Don't get it twisted, though: she hasn't gone under the knife to make this change. 

Zolciak has been emphatic in her denials that she's made tweaks to her nose over the years. In another episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" in 2016, she immediately shut down the host's comments that she'd had a rhinoplasty. "If I'm going to have a nose job, it's going to be a hell of a lot shorter, okay? Like, for real. It's not going to go down into my mouth when I smile," she laughed. Cohen wasn't convinced — and in fairness, it does look very different. However, in her interview with Entertainment Tonight, she pointed out that makeup had a lot to do with it. "Makeup, the contouring, and what have you definitely [helps]," she pointed out. 

Zolciak also told ET that if she had gotten a nose job, she wouldn't be too coy to talk about it. "Why would I not talk about a nose job?" she mused. In fairness, Zolciak has been very open about everything else she's done, so that's a valid point. However, there's no denying that, even if only makeup has played a role, Zolciak's nose today looks very different.

Over the years, we've also seen Kim Zolciak's lips getting a whole lot bigger, and she's not shy about saying why. She's a big fan of filler — so much so that when questioned about the intense look she's achieved with it in the past, she's been quick to remind the world that she'll do whatever she wants with her appearance. "Why not? Shoot it up!" she joked in yet another episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." 

Zolciak has also spoken publicly about tweaking her filler however she sees fit. Speaking to US Weekly in 2020, she even shared that she'd had the filler dissolved so she could get them re-done in a way she liked better — after seeing her daughter, Brielle Bierman, do the same. Just like that, she could see her teeth in pictures again — and all without giving up the plump she's come to love. 

Even with her love for lip fillers, though, it's worth noting that Zolciak has also hinted that what she likes about them is that they aren't permanent. As she'd said in response to an Instagram commenter who said her fillers weren't necessary, "I love them for now." In other words, get ready to see more evolution in the Zolciak lip department because she's open to switching it up. 

Another cosmetic procedure Kim Zolciak hasn't shied away from talking about is breast augmentation. Or, rather, augmentations plural. That's right: over the years, Zolciak has had several boob jobs — two of which were during her time in the public eye. 

Back in 2018, she shared in an episode of the "House of Kim with Kim Zolciak" podcast that she'd had her first augmentation after breastfeeding her daughter, Brielle Biermann (before she'd even joined the cast of "Real Housewives of Atlanta.") A few years — and several more babies — later, she decided to switch it up again. That second time, she headed to Dr. Lenny Hochstein (yes, "Real Housewives of Miami" alum, Lenny Hochstein – the man known as the boob God) and opted for the biggest implants she could get. 

Fast-forward to 2018, it was time to change again. However, this time, she decided to go for something a little less intense. "I'm 40, I'm tired, my back is a little sore, you know what I'm saying?" she explained on the podcast. Zolciak added that she found that she was hunching over at her kids' school events to avoid drawing attention to herself, which only added to the back pain. Back she went to Hochstein. She still opted for a D-cup, but the change was welcome.

Speaking of Kim Zolciak's first time working with Dr. Lenny Hochstein, it's worth noting that she didn't just stop at breast augmentation. Au contraire, she went for a full-on mommy makeover. 

Of what that entailed, Zolciak shared on "House of Kim with Kim Zolciak" that in addition to the boob job, she'd also had a tummy tuck and a hernia removed. More specifically, she's said she started planning for it soon after finding out that she is pregnant with the twins, Kaia and Kane, she shares with ex-husband Kroy Biermann. "I immediately started researching mommy makeovers. This is no joke, you guys. It may sound selfish, but I'm being real," she recounted. Hey — if she wanted to feel confident in her body after six kids, that's her call!

The surgeries ended up taking place when Kaia and Kane were around nine months old. As for the timing, Zolciak explained that she had a hernia that needed to be removed, so Hochstein opted to do everything simultaneously. That meant some of the breast tissue remained, which added to the size of her second implants — but even if she ended up returning to have the implants made smaller, Zolciak shared that she had been thrilled by the changes at the time.

Kim Zolciak may have switched up her own look a lot over the years, but that's not to say she's a big advocate for going under the knife. Quite the contrary, there have been many occasions where she's reminded her following that plastic surgery can only ever do so much.

In 2014, Zolciak took to Facebook to slam anyone who thought she'd had a tummy tuck to take the easy way out. Alongside a picture of herself with a tank top to reveal her abs pre-surgery, the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" alum quipped, "Don't get it twisted for you lazy asses that sit on the couch and think I look this good from a surgeon you are now set straight!" Granted, she did credit Lenny Hochstein for her well-placed belly button post-surgery.

Zolciak has also spoken about needing to be in the right headspace before having cosmetic work done. In fact, speaking to Hochstein on "House of Kim with Kim Zolciak," she shared that she felt that someone going into a procedure not loving themselves would likely feel the same way post-op. "Some people think plastic surgery is going to change your life, give you the best life ever. It's not," she said. Safe to say, for Zolciak, that's never been a problem. She may have changed a lot over the years, but she's always gone into it loving who she already is.